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Steve Alexander

The Daily Dose

Dose: Thanksgiving Love!

There were 14 games on Wednesday night, meaning we posted 28 teams worth of blurbs into the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. In fact, I got up at 4:30 a.m. and worked on the Nets-Warriors game before cranking out this Thanksgiving Dose. Props to Aaron Bruski and Mike Gallagher for doing all the heavy lifting while I was catching up with my bro and cousin, and ignoring the NBA for most of the night. We posted more than 150 blurbs from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. last night, so make sure to read through them, as I couldn’t include everything here. Also be sure to read this entire column, as the hot pickups are listed later, including Jeremy Pargo.

Love Is All Around

I checked in with Bruski around 8 p.m. when he hit me with a “congratulations on Love” instant message. I assumed news broke that Love was nearing a return just a day after I predicted a return on Nov. 29, but the news was much better than that. Although I missed the boat on getting Love into any of my daily lineups, it was announced just before game time that he was active and would play against the Nuggets. If you were able to get him into your lineup, he came through with 34 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, a block and two 3-pointers in his season debut. Incredible. Props to Jerry Zgoda for predicting on Oct. 18 that Love would make his debut tomorrow, as he was off by just one game. Love is back and should be put into all lineups immediately.

Welcome Back

Dwyane Wade returned from his foot problem with 28 points, three boards and four assists, while Chris Bosh added 24 points and 18 rebounds, LeBron James nearly triple-doubled (again) with 28 points, 10 boards and eight assists, and Ray Allen chipped in 17 points. When this lineup is healthy and putting up these kinds of numbers, the Heat are going to be very tough to beat, although they needed OT to get by the Bucks.

Josh Smith finally had the game his owners have been waiting for with 25 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and four blocks on 11-of-19 shooting. Yes, he had six turnovers, but made all three of his free throws and has now shot over 50 percent from the floor in two of his last three games, which are the only two times he’s done it this season. Kyle Korver bounced back from an off game with 16 points and five 3-pointers, making owners who pick-and-played him for the four-game week looking pretty astute. And if you recently bought low on Smoove, Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Kyle Lowry started in his second game back from an ankle injury and had 21 points, eight dimes, two steals, three blocks and four 3-pointers. Welcome back, indeed. Jose Calderon suffered as a result of a return to the bench, finishing with just seven points and four assists in 24 minutes. I’m not dropping him yet, but he’s no longer a must-start with Lowry back.

James Harden returned from his bout with the flu and went off for 28 points, four boards, three assists, five steals and three 3-pointers in another strong performance. Yes, he had six turnovers, but they come with the territory of owning a volume scorer like Harden.

Klay Thompson finally busted his slump by hitting 10-of-19 shots and three 3-pointers to tie a season high with 23 points, a rebound and three assists. Yes, he didn’t do much outside of scoring, but once his shot is back in order, the rest of his game should follow.

Marcin Gortat broke out of a slump with 22 points and seven boards on 11-of-14 shooting, which was nice to see.

Paul George went nuts for the Pacers, hitting nine 3-pointers for a career-high 37 points to go along with four boards, four assists and a steal. He was on my weekly bench in one league, but I hope for your sake you didn’t make the same move. Slump over. Roy Hibbert was playing so poorly owners were actually asking me if they should drop him or trade him for pennies on the dollar. My answer was an emphatic ‘no’ and Hibbert went off with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks for his first triple-double. Yeah, he hit just 3-of-12 shots, but he’s not going to struggle with layups all year, so just hang in there with him.

Nikola Pekovic returned from his ankle injury and had 10 points, seven boards and a block. Get him back in your lineup. Nene debuted after sitting with plantar fasciitis and had 12 points, one rebound and a block off the bench. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be worth a pick up in all leagues. Evan Turner had 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and is starting to play well. Turner and Jason Richardson have rendered Dorell Wright useless, and he played just 17 minutes last night. I have dropped him in most of my leagues.

Dion Waiters came through with 16 points, four rebounds, six assists and two 3-pointers in 39 minutes (as predicted), and should continue to roll for as long as Kyrie Irving is out. Al-Farouq Aminu bounced back after an off night 14 points, 10 boards, two assists and a steal in 46 minutes. Stick with him. J.J. Barea returned for the Wolves and had 12 points and four 3-pointers in 20 minutes. He’s unreliable due to the injuries, but is worth a look in deeper leagues.

Please Come Home

Ersan Ilyasova is one guy who didn’t bounce back last night, hitting just 2-of-7 shots for four points in 17 minutes. Scott Skiles is still down on him and Ilyasova is down on himself. I’m not going to tell you to drop EI, but if you want to do it, I won’t be mad at you.

Derrick Williams didn’t even get off the Wolves bench, which killed me since I pick-and-played him in several leagues after his 23-point game on Friday. With Love back, Williams is going to be hit or miss the rest of the way, with probably more misses than hits. It’s going to be a long weekend if he’s stuck in your lineup, and trust me when I say I feel your pain.

There were 14 games on Wednesday night, meaning we posted 28 teams worth of blurbs into the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. In fact, I got up at 4:30 a.m. and worked on the Nets-Warriors game before cranking out this Thanksgiving Dose. Props to Aaron Bruski and Mike Gallagher for doing all the heavy lifting while I was catching up with my bro and cousin, and ignoring the NBA for most of the night. We posted more than 150 blurbs from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. last night, so make sure to read through them, as I couldn’t include everything here. Also be sure to read this entire column, as the hot pickups are listed later, including Jeremy Pargo.

Love Is All Around

I checked in with Bruski around 8 p.m. when he hit me with a “congratulations on Love” instant message. I assumed news broke that Love was nearing a return just a day after I predicted a return on Nov. 29, but the news was much better than that. Although I missed the boat on getting Love into any of my daily lineups, it was announced just before game time that he was active and would play against the Nuggets. If you were able to get him into your lineup, he came through with 34 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, a block and two 3-pointers in his season debut. Incredible. Props to Jerry Zgoda for predicting on Oct. 18 that Love would make his debut tomorrow, as he was off by just one game. Love is back and should be put into all lineups immediately.

Welcome Back

Dwyane Wade returned from his foot problem with 28 points, three boards and four assists, while Chris Bosh added 24 points and 18 rebounds, LeBron James nearly triple-doubled (again) with 28 points, 10 boards and eight assists, and Ray Allen chipped in 17 points. When this lineup is healthy and putting up these kinds of numbers, the Heat are going to be very tough to beat, although they needed OT to get by the Bucks.

Josh Smith finally had the game his owners have been waiting for with 25 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and four blocks on 11-of-19 shooting. Yes, he had six turnovers, but made all three of his free throws and has now shot over 50 percent from the floor in two of his last three games, which are the only two times he’s done it this season. Kyle Korver bounced back from an off game with 16 points and five 3-pointers, making owners who pick-and-played him for the four-game week looking pretty astute. And if you recently bought low on Smoove, Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Kyle Lowry started in his second game back from an ankle injury and had 21 points, eight dimes, two steals, three blocks and four 3-pointers. Welcome back, indeed. Jose Calderon suffered as a result of a return to the bench, finishing with just seven points and four assists in 24 minutes. I’m not dropping him yet, but he’s no longer a must-start with Lowry back.

James Harden returned from his bout with the flu and went off for 28 points, four boards, three assists, five steals and three 3-pointers in another strong performance. Yes, he had six turnovers, but they come with the territory of owning a volume scorer like Harden.

Klay Thompson finally busted his slump by hitting 10-of-19 shots and three 3-pointers to tie a season high with 23 points, a rebound and three assists. Yes, he didn’t do much outside of scoring, but once his shot is back in order, the rest of his game should follow.

Marcin Gortat broke out of a slump with 22 points and seven boards on 11-of-14 shooting, which was nice to see.

Paul George went nuts for the Pacers, hitting nine 3-pointers for a career-high 37 points to go along with four boards, four assists and a steal. He was on my weekly bench in one league, but I hope for your sake you didn’t make the same move. Slump over. Roy Hibbert was playing so poorly owners were actually asking me if they should drop him or trade him for pennies on the dollar. My answer was an emphatic ‘no’ and Hibbert went off with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks for his first triple-double. Yeah, he hit just 3-of-12 shots, but he’s not going to struggle with layups all year, so just hang in there with him.

Nikola Pekovic returned from his ankle injury and had 10 points, seven boards and a block. Get him back in your lineup. Nene debuted after sitting with plantar fasciitis and had 12 points, one rebound and a block off the bench. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be worth a pick up in all leagues. Evan Turner had 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and is starting to play well. Turner and Jason Richardson have rendered Dorell Wright useless, and he played just 17 minutes last night. I have dropped him in most of my leagues.

Dion Waiters came through with 16 points, four rebounds, six assists and two 3-pointers in 39 minutes (as predicted), and should continue to roll for as long as Kyrie Irving is out. Al-Farouq Aminu bounced back after an off night 14 points, 10 boards, two assists and a steal in 46 minutes. Stick with him. J.J. Barea returned for the Wolves and had 12 points and four 3-pointers in 20 minutes. He’s unreliable due to the injuries, but is worth a look in deeper leagues.

Please Come Home

Ersan Ilyasova is one guy who didn’t bounce back last night, hitting just 2-of-7 shots for four points in 17 minutes. Scott Skiles is still down on him and Ilyasova is down on himself. I’m not going to tell you to drop EI, but if you want to do it, I won’t be mad at you.

Derrick Williams didn’t even get off the Wolves bench, which killed me since I pick-and-played him in several leagues after his 23-point game on Friday. With Love back, Williams is going to be hit or miss the rest of the way, with probably more misses than hits. It’s going to be a long weekend if he’s stuck in your lineup, and trust me when I say I feel your pain.

Out of Nowhere

Jeremy Pargo started at PG for the Cavs and went nuts for a career line of 28 points, five boards, four assists, a steal and four 3-pointers on 11-of-19 shooting in 39 minutes. Run, don’t walk, to pick him up with Kyrie Irving out for a month.

Rookie John Henson came out of nowhere with 17 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks. My guess is this will be his best game of the season and with Skiles as his coach, and Larry Sanders and comatose Ersan Ilyasova lingering, Henson isn’t a must-own player in my mind. But if your wire has been picked clean and you want to take a flier on him, do it immediately.

Kevin Seraphin started at center and had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Hawks. It looks like he could start the rest of the way for the terrible Wizards, and owners who held onto him through the tough times have plenty to be thankful for today. Pick him up.

Jason Kidd exploded for 17 points, six boards, five assists, five steals and five 3-pointers, notching the fantasy goldmine of a 5 x 5 game. I had him in a points-league lineup and couldn’t be happier with the pick up for four games. He had some extra motivation going against Mark Cuban’s Mavs, but he’s still playing well enough as the Knicks’ starting SG to be owned in all leagues.

Vince Carter is another old man playing well, going off for a season-high 25 points with five 3-pointers last night. His hamstring injury obviously isn’t a problem and Carter is playing well enough to be useful in most leagues.

Jonas Valanciunas exploded for 16 points, 10 rebounds and a block in 35 minutes. Yes, it came against the Bobcats, but we’ve been touting this kid’s upside all season long. I’ve owned and dropped him in multiple leagues, but am ready to pick him up again, if he’s still available.

Hornet Robin Lopez came out of nowhere with 21 points, 13 boards and four blocks against Roy Hibbert and the Pacers after really struggling over the past several games. Maybe this is a sign he’s going to get hot, so give him a look if you need a center. But also keep in mind that Anthony Davis was out with his ankle injury.

Houston’s Patrick Patterson continues to get heavy minutes and had a season-high 20 points to go along with eight boards and a block against the Bulls. He’s struggled to score and board on the same night, but could finally be ready to break out.

Matt Barnes is now starting for the Clippers and could stay there over Caron Butler, and went off for 19 points, nine boards, four steals, a block and two 3-pointers. I actually pick-and-played him in a couple leagues this week and it’s paying off. But once Butler is healthy, it remains to be seen if Barnes will keep the job, or if he’ll stay productive.

Tiago Splitter came off the bench for a season-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with three rebounds, two steals and a block. He plays for Gregg Popovich, meaning I don’t trust him much, but if you need a center, he could be getting ready to see more minutes. Of course, he won’t shoot it like this every night, which means Pop won’t hesitate to pull him if he’s struggling.

Jason Smith came out of nowhere for 18 points, seven boards and a block in 26 minutes for the Hornets. He’s got skills, but until I see him producing with consistency, I’m going to pretend like this never happened. And keep in mind that Anthony Davis was out with his injury. Bismack Biyombo had 11 points, eight boards, a steal and two blocks in his first meaningful line of the year for Charlotte, meaning you should just put him on your radar. Meyers Leonard started in place of J.J. Hickson, who was out with a shoulder injury, and had 12 points, five boards and two blocks. Leonard looks like he’s going to be a good player, but Hickson is the center you want to own in Portland. Jermaine O’Neal somehow had 17 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes for the Suns last night, taking us back to yesteryear. But I’ll be surprised to see him post another line like this anytime soon. If you’re thinking about grabbing him, go with option B.

Lineup Changes

Shannon Brown and Markieff Morris started over Jared Dudley and Luis Scola last night, and the move could be permanent in Phoenix. Brown had 10 points in a quiet outing, while Morris went off for 19 points and seven boards on 9-of-13 shooting, along with a 3-pointer. Scola played just 19 minutes and had four points, while Dudley scored four in 20 minutes. I’m not going to tell you to cut Scola yet, but picking up Morris looks like a must-move at this point.

Shaun Livingston started over A.J. Price for the Wiz, but Price outplayed him from the bench. Regardless of who starts, this is a timeshare until John Wall is back, but I’d still rather own Price if I was desperate at PG.

Moe Harkless started at SF for Orlando, pushing J.J. Redick to the bench, but I’m still holding Redick in all leagues, and not targeting Harkless in any (yet).

Troy Murphy started over Elton Brand for the Mavs and had two points and five boards before leaving with an illness. The fact he started over Brand says more about Brand’s decline than it does about Murphy’s strong play, and I’m not targeting either player in my fantasy leagues.

Turkey Day Fantasy Football Draft?

My buddy Rick Wolf put together this handy spreadsheet that I’m going to use for a football draft this morning. I’m going to cut up the sheet and put five QBs, 10 RBs, 10 WRs, 5 TEs, 5 Ks and 5 D’s in separate hats, and then have five owners (mostly the kids and clueless) pick fantasy teams for the day. You can also take a serious run at this and have a hardcore draft with your family, but either way, it should help some of the folks you’re watching football with care a little more. Follow me on Twitter and have a great Thanksgiving!

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA for Rotoworld.com and a contributor to NBCSports.com. The 2014-15 NBA season marks his 13th year of covering fantasy hoops for Rotoworld. Follow him on Twitter - @Docktora.Email :Steve Alexander